Deflategate Is Dead

Pour one out for Deflategate. It’s dead. In fact pour out some kerosene so we can burn that carcass and make sure it never comes back to life. Because we are now free of one the dumbest stories in our lifetimes.

At least I think we are. Tom Brady went on Facebook to start the weekend and took the knee, saying he will no longer proceed with the legal process.

Good. At this point I think I speak for all of us when I say – we don’t really care how it ends any more. We just want it to end.

It’s like sitting in a terrible movie you got dragged to, and you’re just burning a hole through the screen trying to will the credits to roll so you can get the hell out of there. Brady quits. The NFL taps. Either way it’s fine. Just as long as it dies.

And really what better place for Brady to make the announcement than Facebook? The same real estate that has hosted every take, every diatribe, every shared Meme and first person video rant on the topic for the last year and a half.

Facebook was deflatebook. And Brady’s little announcement was probably sandwiched right between your Uncle Gene’s 50th take about how Roger Goodell has too much power…. And that kid Mitch you knew back in high school bringing the fire with another reset of the Beli-cheaters.

This thing was terrible. A truly awful, bloated, BS story.

Over 540 days of slap-fighiting, court room sketches, dream legal teams, bad takes and terrible jokes… About a player who maybe gave himself a small extra advantage in a game he won by 5 touchdowns.

And then again, maybe he didn’t. And as for who is the “winner” of this fight. Nobody.

Make no mistake- just because Brady is going to sit the 4 games doesn’t mean the NFL is getting its hand raised. They still look ridiculous. Goodell still looks like a fake tough guy, millions of dollars and hours, dragging perhaps their greatest player ever through the mud. And for what? So they could hammer him on a petty little violation.

And despite all that time, money and the best legal team money could buy, and in the end, all they could come up with is that it was “more probable than not” that something went down.

Then again, this really wasn’t about whether or not Tom Brady cheated. Or if the Patriots as an organization are serial cheaters. It wasn’t even about football. It was about the Commissioner’s power. And whether or not he has the authority to say and do whatever he wants with the players; and he does. And the players gave him the right when they collectively bargained with league. And that’s on them, not him.

When Brady had his appeal to denial, that’s as much evidence as guilt as it was a confirmation of Goodell’s power. But it was still the dumbest waste of time ever.

But believe it or not, as badly as this went for Brady, it’s not without positives. If there’s one team that can handle this, it’s the Patriots. We know this already. If you’re going to be without Brady for four games, better it be the first four, with 3 of them at home. And they knew this could be coming, so they prepared for it as an organization. And prepared Brady’s fill in Jimmy Garoppolo for it.

And by the way, 4 games off, for a 38 year old QB might not be such a bad thing at all. He may not like it, but he may benefit from playing 12 regular season games as opposed to 16. He might be fresher come playoff time where they should still be one of the favorites over all. So aside from the biggest waste of time ever, this might not be such a bad thing for Brady and the Pats. And I’ll tell you who else benefits from this: Pats nation.

Yeah I said it. Sure, Brady gets 4 games. But you get what you crave the most – a cause. A rally cry. A cross to bear. Now you can keep making your memes, keep printing your t-shirts… And keep counting down to Week 5.

Boston fans are nothing if they have nothing to complain about. Now with this suspension – they truly have something to burn on for the next 2 months, and when Brady returns he can try to burn down the world.

The guy makes his return against the freaking Browns. How many points do the pissed off Pats hang that night- 200? The Pats and the Chowds have been to 6 Super Bowls with Brady, they’ve been through this type of thing before. This isn’t their first rodeo.

Again, if any team in the NFL can deal with this, it’s the Pats. And believe many couldn’t. Now they get to go through Hell to get to another ring. This will all be worth it for Pats fans if Brady can accept the Lombardi Trophy from Big Rog and stare some laser beams right through that big ol ginger head.

In fact, this might be the actual reason they do.

Until then – right or wrong, guilty or innocent- we can all celebrate once and for all that Defaltegate is dead.

I’d say thanks for the great memories, but there weren’t any. From air in footballs… To dust in the wind.